GENRE: In Focus

The recent Bollywood release Chichore may have been dismissed as a clichéd story. But its theme – depression among school and college students – is becoming a serious issue, especially in big cities like Mumbai. India has one of the highest suicide rates in the world among youth in the 15-29 age group and depression is one key cause for this. Though media did report two recent incidents, that of a 24 year old student, from Assam studying at the School of Architecture and Planning (SPA) who committed suicide due to mental pressure and that of a 29-year-old student of…

In the far past, afforestation was largely a means to generate income from timber and other products. Today, it is integral to our survival. Loss in green cover and increased concretisation in urban areas has led to cities becoming ‘urban heat islands’, which pose significant threats to not just human populations but also contribute to global climate change. In countries like India that are highly vulnerable to climate breakdown, forests are an integral element towards mitigation. Tree cover of almost 1.6 million hectares was lost between 2001 and 2018 in India - nearly four times the geographical area of Goa -…

Ramasamy (name changed) refused to change the proposed date of marriage of his second daughter when his first born in the US expressed inability to attend her sister’s marriage. He had fixed a marriage hall belonging to a superstar, six months before D-Day and had paid the entire rent of several lakhs as advance -- which was non-refundable.  This is the plight of many who believe in conducting traditional wedding ceremonies in halls in Chennai. Says Sindhu Vijayakumar, a senior media professional in Chennai, “People are paying in lakhs to hire just four walls and a limited parking space.  The cost…

Sarsa, a small river that flows through Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, is considered a holy river in Sikh religious tradition. It was on the banks of Sarsa that Guru Gobind Singh’s Khalsa Army fought the Mughals. Though the Khalsa army lost that battle, its effect was far reaching. It led to Guru Gobind Singh’s separation from his family and the martyrdom of the Guru’s four children. To avenge their deaths, Banda Bahadur, a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh who was especially sent by the Guru to avenge the martyrdom of his children, laid the foundation of a professional Khalsa Army, which…

How does a national downturn affect a small, local market in this city? If we want to understand that, we should probably look at the Pudupet spare parts market.  The nation-wide auto sector slowdown has hit the livelihoods of many traders at Pudupet, a second hand vehicle-parts market off Egmore. There has been a slump in metal prices due to the slowdown, a factor that has probably had the most damaging impact on the Pudupet traders.  “There has been a steep fall in metal prices: Iron price has declined to Rs 16 from Rs 25 and aluminium costs Rs 63…

Close to 20 people killed in the city itself, several missing and over 3000 requiring rehabilitation -- Pune is grappling with the situation in the aftermath of the September flash floods, as the city and its adjoining areas saw over 100 millimetres of rain over a period of two days. While efforts are on to redeem the situation, environmentalists and analysts say that the writing had been on the wall for some time. And the authorities had even been warned about it… Flashback to August 2019 In the first week of August, Pune experienced floods after around 100000 cusecs of…

For residents of India’s IT capital, Bengaluru, a neighbourhood park (NP) is not an uncommon sight. Their role in providing the urban population a recreational space has been appreciated by both the residents and the municipal corporation. However, their contribution to supporting the urban ecosystem and sheltering urban biodiversity has been underestimated. In a new study, a group of urban ecologists from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) have challenged this view. They say parks, despite their small size, can serve as “stepping stones” that facilitate the movement of birds, butterflies, and insects between larger green areas. The study…

The extreme spells of rain over the past few weeks may have made Hyderabad’s traffic situation worse than ever, but the situation is hardly bearable even when we have less inclement weather. The problem is especially acute in the Hitech-City - Financial District area, given the large concentration of office goers who come here from various parts of the city. Traffic speeds on a regular day often fall to 12-15 km/hour, which is slower than riding a bicycle. The current trend also suggests that more and more employees are switching from public transport towards owning and traveling by their personal…

Co-authored by Dattatraya T Devare and Saurabh Ketkar Imagine two people on cycles alongside each other riding down a road. One has a state-of-the-art bicycle, made out of carbon fibre with the best disc brakes and a customised seat. The other has a generic cycle made without any gears or fancy materials. When they both come to a stop, one thing is fairly certain, both of them will be sweating and will even smile at each other. If they are friends, they will stop for a chat and catch up over this fortuitous rendezvous. This scenario would be hardly likely…

Are you a Chennaiite negotiating the busy roads of the city almost daily? Have you noticed the sidewalks being dug up on your way to Anna library or EA Mall or Chennai Central in recent times? Did you wonder why these roads are being dug up all of a sudden throughout the city?  Of floods and droughts Chennai has seen the worst of nature's fury several times in the recent past, with the frequency of floods and droughts having increased drastically. Post the historic floods in 2015, Cyclone Vardah devastated the city once again in 2016. However, as the monsoon…